Gaming & Culture —

New Super Mario Bros.

I miss you, Luigi

The multiplayer component is fun: a looping level where Mario and Luigi compete for the big coins. It only supports ad-hoc mode, which is odd for a flagship title like this. Nintendo couldn't spring for making it playable online? I grit my teeth and shake my fist at them angrily; there's really no excuse for that one.

The game also includes a smattering of the minigames from Mario 64, and while I would have liked some new ones, I still enjoy these and the ability to play them without having to unlock them is nice. If you haven't picked up Mario 64 (and if you've beaten that game on the N64 I'll forgive you for missing the retread), these games will be new to you.

Both of these features are nice, but without the game being playable online and any new mini-games, they're more like bullet points on the back of the box than something you can really get excited about. It's nice stuff, don't get me wrong, but I do wish Nintendo spent a little bit more time making this Mario game something special in terms of additional content.

This is how I roll in the Mushroom Kingdom

You can never have enough bullet bills

Overall there's not a lot new here. Most of the situations will be familiar to you if you have played the previous Mario titles. You'll recognize setups and enemies from previous games, and know how to react accordingly. There's not going to be a learning curve on this game because you already know how to play it. Don't expect many surprises. You'll get your ghost houses, your mushroom levels, your lava areas, and the other Mario clichés.

That's not to say it's a bad gameplaying this made me feel like I was coming home. I had a great time with it and could barely put it down. Nintendo just didn't take many risks with the design, making the game almost more of a classic Mario remix with vastly superior graphics than anything actually new. When it comes to platforming action though, this is easily one of the best. But if you're not a diehard Mario fan, I could see wondering what all the fuss is about.

For fans of the 2D platformers though, this is pretty much as good as it gets. The game simply feels perfect, and somehow comes together to be more than the sum of its parts. While you will often play through the game and wish for something more or different, you'll be doing it with a huge smile on your face.